


This Is Worth Fighting For

by EllorielTheMinion



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-06-09 10:03:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6901468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllorielTheMinion/pseuds/EllorielTheMinion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Huzzah, yet another Solas/Lavellan fanfic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From Haven to the Breach

From Haven to the Breach

The sun shone down on a valley where wild flowers grew. In the distance, Halla grazed. A butterfly had landed and was resting on the nose of a very young Dalish child who was laying on her back and looking up at the sky in wonder. Her hair was loose from her braids and was a riot of white curls that pillowed her head. Blue eyes gazed up at the clouds, the faintest of smiles on her face. Resting on the ground beside her--a basket full of cotton to be combed, and gradually transformed from thread, to cloth, and eventually to clothing for a Clan Member. It was one of their earliest lessons--doing things the hard way the first time taught much.

"If you don't do your chores, the Dread Wolf will take you. Fen Harel comes for little girls who shirk them." Came a voice from the edge of the treeline. Trisaniel looked up, dark blue eyes blinking briefly as she focused on the speaker. Her Mother.

_It's amazing what thoughts suddenly appear in your head in a flash of green light when you're on your hands and knees in a dungeon,_ Thought Trisaniel. Those same dark blue eyes, older now opened and focused on the eerie light coming from the mark on her hand. Randomly, jolts of pain shot from her palm, right up her arm, and into her spine. It felt like liquid fire was in her veins and nerves. She hissed and flexed her hand as energy crackled along it. Abruptly the door opened, and her attention was drawn to the two figures entering. One of them was a figure wearing a dark hood, with the curves of a woman showing underneath the chainmail that protected her form. The second wore no hood. She was a tall, strong woman who wore grief and anger in every inch of her disapproving expression, from the black hair, to the scars that seemed to only emphasize how attractive she was. 

_Fascinating_ , thought Trisaniel. I have never seen someone with scars who is beautiful with them, not in spite of them. Her own features were decidedly washed out and pale. Add to that a reserved personality that tended to think about  
everything to the point of exhaustion before actually speaking.. The words Ice Queen had been bandied around a bit by her own Clan.

Abruptly, her thoughts were jerked back to the present as the dark haired woman snarled. "You're lying."

"We need her, Cassandra." Came the cautioning comment from the one in the hood. Trisaniel noted that Cassandra calmed immediately, and filed that away for later. Whoever she was, she had a good bit of pull to cause a woman borderline on a rampage to halt and go back to being just mildly menacing. She blinked. Was she being set up for a game of Good Guard, Bad Guard? 

More questions came, and she racked her still mind for answers. "I remember a woman."

"A woman?" More discussion, and the one called Cassandra bade the other one to go meet the two of them. The dark haired woman assisted her to her feet, chains clinking as she winced--her legs were all pins and needles from being down there for so long. She danced back and forth, willing blood flow back into them, and with them, feeling and ability to walk. Finally it ebbed enough for her to walk out of the building into the light, where she traded pins and needles for her eyes to begin watering as she looked upwards, into the sky.

The Breach, or so she heard it called was both beautiful and dangerous at the same time. Every so often, she saw a green ribbon of light lance out and break away. Shouting came from the distance, as well as occasional booms and smoke billowed in the air from what she assumed were buildings on fire. Trisaniel strained her mind, trying and failing to remember the events of the last few days, and found it difficult to believe something so large and potentially deadly could not be remembered, even foggily. Amnesia, perhaps, she thought. Her Keeper had told her of that particular malady. The elf remembered that particular discussion perfectly. One of the best remedies to it was to try to jog the memory of the victim by exposing them to events of the past. Very well then--she would investigate this fully.

Another lance of white hot pain flung her to her knees once more. Her hand was glowing green with the intensity of the breach, pulsating when it did. Even through the pain, she heard the words telling her the Mark was killing her. And Trisaniel did not want to die. Her vision was tinged veridian as she answered. "I understand. I'll do whatever it takes."

The Seeker guided her through the crowd. Trisaniel flinched away from the glares. One person even spat at her. She hunched her shoulders and kept walking. Eventually the two of them passed the door, and began going at a trot. As the two of them passed over the bridge, a deafening noise like thunder boomed overhead. The bridge shattered in two, and they toppled over the side. Cassandra tucked and rolled, while the elf ungracefully went sprawling. Black wafts of smoke began to appear, and she lunged for a staff.

Both females fought hard, and within seconds, the battle was over. The Seeker snarled at her to drop the weapon, then seemed to change her mind. Her comment was grudging, as if she was not willing to be unfair, despite how distasteful she found it. They continued up towards the ruin of the Temple lay, the two of them rapidly learning how to work together. Trisaniel found herself fast to shield the both of them with magic, even as she let spells fly. It was not long until the two of them were covered in what seemed to be a blackish red gore.. or whatever passed for blood of demons and spirits.

Eventually they made it to the smaller rift that Cassandra had mentioned. One was thin, much taller than the other. The thinner figure threw ice bolts, while what proved to be a dwarf rapidly reloaded a crossbow, then emptied it again into a demon. Both of them were covered in the blackish red blood. The Seeker and the Elf broke into a run, metal ringing in the air even as lighting crackled, thundering across the distance. The fight ended with the thinner figure grabbed her hand and thrust it at the rift. Instinctively, she made a gesture, and a line of greenish light connected her to the rift. She felt the energy go between the two of them, then snap apart abruptly as the rift folded in on itself. As it closed, she turned her head and met the gaze of the person who had helped them all.

..and immediately felt herself struck dumb, two words suddenly playing through her head: _Oh.. my.._ She, who thought about everything exhaustively, and had never once in her life been caught off guard. Her mind went into overdrive then, memorizing him from his head, with the lack of vallaslin to his relaxed posture. Even the jawbone necklace around her neck spoke to her. Belatedly, she heard the dwarf introduce himself and the other elf. Varric. Solas. 

_Solas_.

****

_Never did I imagine a mortal being capable of such.. She glows like the sun._

****

Trisaniel's hand thrummed with energy as she closed yet another rift. Her ears twitched ever so slightly, turning the faintest bit pink as she heard Solas compliment her on how fast she was learning. Learning came easily to her, as did magic. There was little to be proud of, surely.. but even so, she found herself warming to his words and glad that her hood hid the color change. This was disconcerting, to say the least. Not once in the years since she had hit maturity had anyone caused this sort of reaction in her. She had almost begun to feel like it would never happen.

She took that thought and shoved it into a box marked "later" as a crackle of energy almost knocked her prone. The business end of her staff whirled as she began to dance, dodging and weaving through the demons and their ilk that randomly drifted. Cassandra, Varric, and Solas began matching her pace as they feverishly worked their way up to the temple entrance. A man dressed in armor and furs fought, along with a few other soldiers. They were also joined by the hooded woman. Two names were added to her mental list that she had been forming: Cullen. Leliana. 

Of the names here, all were mildly familiar to her, save one. Cassandra was familiar--few had not heard of the woman who had saved Divine Beatrix from Dragons. Even the Dalish had spoken of it. Varric and Cullen were also mildly familiar--their homes were also in the Free Marches. As for Leliana? Bards were loved by many, her own people included. The power of music was a magic of its own, and while they were watched, it was not an unfamiliar sight to see a bard come and go among The Clans. Some few of her own people had aspired to Minstrelsy, or Bardhood themselves.

This Solas, however.. He was a mystery. And one that she felt would become important. Fast.. if she lived, that is.

Dragging her wayward thoughts back to the present once more, she found herself answering Cassandra--that a charge with the soldiers would be in their best interest, not to mention give herself the best chances of survival. While under normal circumstances she was the first to suggest checking on scouts.. in this case, she felt meeting things head on was the way to go. And with that, the group of soldiers, plus the quartet walked into the temple. Anxiety began to surge.

She felt it spike when she first heard a disembodied voice filling the air around them. Male, dark. Powerful. And malevolent. They followed the path of wreckage around the temple, Varric speaking up in alarm when he saw the Red Lyrium.

Trisaniel felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up when she heard her own voice join the disembodied one, followed by the voice of an elderly woman in fear.

"Someone, help me!"

"What's going on here?"

Her blood went cold as she heard the disembodied voice order the death of the elf with her voice, followed by Cassandra's questions. "I don't remember!"

She shook herself--this was it. The elf raised her hand into the air, and looked at the elf called Solas out of the corner of her eye and made herself a promise.. if she lived.

Green light flared, and Trisaniel whirled her staff, ready for what might come through the rift.


	2. Dreams and a Journey to the Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extremely vibrant dreams, and Trisaniel earns a nickname.

Trisaniel yawned and mumbled to herself--sleep had been so good, and the sun felt good on her face. Warmth touched her all over. It was nice.. lately she'd been running around in snow and had been freezing half of the time. Abruptly, her mind seized that fact, jolting her to open her eyes and look around. It was the valley from her childhood, and in it a wolf sat close by, watching her in silence. She sat up and pulled herself to her feet, eyes glancing around her surroundings for more wolves. None.

"That's strange. Usually wolves travel in packs." Her lips tugged in a wry smile. The wolf opened his mouth in a lupine grin, one which she couldn't help but return with a grin of her own. "Very well then. I can't be here, so this must be a dream."

The wolf padded over and sat down beside her, then lowered himself onto his haunches. His tail thudded the ground as it wagged. "You know.. When I was a little girl, my father trained animals. One of them was a wolf that he had taught to keep an eye on me, since he frequently said that he couldn't keep me close to camp with a chain spiked to the ground. She and I went everywhere together, even when I started training as a mage. So many adventures the two of us had over the years. She died when I turned eighteen."

The wolf cocked his head and looked at her. She smiled and sat down next to him and reached out her hand for him to sniff and was gratified when his tail wagged. "Maybe I could have a dream wolf for a friend, eh? What's the harm?"

She closed her eyes and basked in the sun for awhile more. "Things have been so strange of late. I.. My Keeper sent me to a Conclave where there were talks of a great many people. I remember going there, and then.. nothing. After that I remember waking up in chains, and being blamed for everything. I always used to try to keep an open mind, because people are people, no matter what sort of ears or horns, or anything they might have. After that human spat at me.. I begin to worry that my Keeper was right."

A whine caught her attention out of her musing. 

"You're right, of course. I should keep trying. There were contributing circumstances." She sighed and stretched out, laying her head on the wolf's flank like a pillow, like she had done years before. When no growl or snap came, she relaxed. "Still.. every cloud has its silver lining, they always say. The people I've been meeting are interesting. Cassandra is called a hero, but she seems so normal. Very brusque, just like the weapons master from our clan. Leliana? I heard tales about her even in my Clan. Varric? Him as well. Kirkwall isn't so far away that I haven't heard about him. The one they called Cullen.. well, I haven't gotten to talk to him yet. But my first impressions are seldom wrong."

The tail stopped thudding for a moment, and she muttered at the wolf. "He's too pretty." 

Trisaniel sighed and closed her eyes. "Then there's the one I haven't mentioned. His name is Solas. I don't know what to think about him, yet, other than the fact that I think I could like him. He seems very intelligent. Wise. I wonder if I could actually talk to him about my ideas about magic, and its uses. I worry though--all the Dalish Clans I know tend to be fairly close-minded. I don't want to be told that I ask too many questions again. Someone to talk to would be so nice." She idly scritched the wolf behind the ears. "Just like you.. except you don't exist. No offense."

She sat there, just watching the sun set, and felt herself fall asleep once more, all the while with a wolfish protector watching over her while she returned to non-distinct dreams. 

****

It was the sound of birds chirping and the smell of stew wafting in the open window that woke her, followed by the growl of her stomach that caused her to open her eyes. Trisaniel took in her surroundings--she was in a small cottage. A fire burned in the fireplace. It was at that moment that the door opened, and an elf carrying in a package stumbled upon seeing her awake. "My lady, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were awake." She dropped to her knees, stammering apologies. 

Inwardly, Trisaniel sighed, sorrow inside of her as she saw another elf cringing and abasing herself. "Please don't. Really, it's okay.." She stepped up to draw the elf to her feet, who just cringed further and hurried said something about Cassandra wanting to see her as soon as she'd woken. Then she skittered out of the room as if expecting to dodge a kick. She bowed her head and sighed. "They're not Dalish.. but they're still elves, and still my people. This isn't right."

Her stomach growled again, and she walked outside to go follow her nose towards the scent of food. It seemed to be coming from the Tavern. It was the crowd of people gathered around, talking, whispers of "That's her. That's the Herald of Andraste." and various other comments as she walked towards the tavern that caused her to stop and look around behind her. A herald of Andraste? Her? Her ears quivered, and she weaved her way through the crowd, deciding to brave it and try to get some food before she visited the Chantry. "Maker bless you, Herald. That's her.. she closed the rift, she can save us."

On and on the comments came, and by the time she had gotten to the Tavern, her ears were flattened against her head, unsure of what was going on. "Suppose I better get to the Chantry.. and get food later." She hurried her way towards the great stone building, and stopped outright when she heard two voices shouting inside, and it seemed to be about her.

"Have you gone completely mad? She should be taken to Val Royeau immediately, to be tried by whomever becomes Divine."

"I do not believe she is guilty." Really? Things have changed since I've been asleep.

"The elf failed, Seeker. The Breach is still there. For all we know, she intended it this way."

"I do not believe that." Definitely things have changed. 

"That is not for you to decide. Your duty is to serve the Chantry."

"My duty is to serve the principles on which the Chantry was founded, Chancellor. As is yours." You know.. I might be able to like Cassandra. She grows on you. And what were the original principles of the Chantry, anyways?

Trisaniel walked into the room, and looked at Cassandra. The barest beginnings of a smile appeared on her face as Rodrick pointed at her, instructing the guards to carry her away for Judgement.

"Disregard that, and leave us." She watched the guards salute and leave. The elf looked at Cassandra and offered a definite smile now. 

Rodrick sputtered more for a minutes, and then found himself backing up against the wall as a surly Cassandra jabbed her finger at him like a knife. "We will close the Breach. We will find those responsible, and we will restore order with or without your approval." Amazing. He has only one eyebrow. 

Trisaniel hid a smile behind a hand as the man left in what could only be termed a huff. Men could be such hens sometimes. 

Leliana came closer, and the three women looked at each other. "This is the Divine's directive: Rebuild the Inquisition of old. Find those who will stand against the chaos. We aren't ready. We have no leader, no numbers, and now no Chantry support."

Cassandra casually rested a hand on the pommel of her sword. "But we have no choice: We must act now.. with you at our side."

The elf stirred inside, moved despite herself. This sounded a little like the adventures she and her friend had had in the forests when she was a child. An adventure? Now? At her age? Her lips twisted in a wry smile. Why not?

She reached over and shook hands with Cassandra.

Her stomach gurgled. "Um.. do either of you know where I can get some food?"

****

Trisaniel stretched out on the small bit of mossy knoll in her little dream valley--the moss was as soft as a pillow. Her white hair spread out like a nimbus around her, as well as her robes. Birds were chirping in the distance. The elf breathed in deeply, taking in the familiar scent of the wildflowers. "I finally got to talk to him.. before we left to take a trip to meet a cleric. I was right. He IS as intelligent as I thought he was, as well as very.. I don't know the word for it. It was something he said when we were discussing an indomitable focus. I felt.. fire. Heat. In places I haven't felt before. And we were just talking, Falon."

The wolf had come trotting up. "Falon. Is that alright, if I call you Falon? It means.. close friend."

A bark, followed by a tail wag. 

The elf maid flushed, despite herself. "I feel it even now, Falon. Just the memory of what he said.. and how he said it, and the way his eyes met mine makes it still happen. The other girls always spoke of feeling like that after touching only. This was only with words.. and the way his voice sounded."

She cleared her throat, then sighed. "I was so wrapped up in it, I forgot to talk to him about magic. Imagine that--me forgetting what I'm about.. especially with Magic. He was discussing Spirits, and how they were friends to him. I wanted to tell him how magic itself feels to me."

Falon cocked his head as he looked at her expectantly. 

"Magic is.. life. He said that he always felt wonder when talking with the memories and spirits of a place. I feel that way when I cast spells. Colors are brighter, scents are a little headier. I feel more alive while spellcasting, even if I'm fighting. He mentioned a spell that could take years to cast, and I.. I wish I could do that. It always upsets me when people always back away a little when magic is brought up. I don't want people to be afraid of me."

She got to her feet and began to pace. "I was brought up with Magic. Learning it was filled with joy, wonder, and laughter. If I ever have a child.. I want them to have that too. I want the world to have it. People could feel secure knowing wards protected them. Children could learn with spells, or grow up looking at beautiful illusions. I want people to feel at home with it. Not.. this. Not what we have now. You'd think someone had put a poisonous snake into a room. An adder. That's how I feel whenever people look at me--they look suspicious, like I could strike at any moment."

She turned and looked down at the wolf. "It's wrong, Falon. Cassandra and Leliana both talk about changing things. Changing the world through the inquisition. Leliana in particular, who wants to change not just things for Mages, but for everyone. She's right. I want that too. I will give anything to change it."

****

They had been riding for days, the four of them: Herself, Cassandra, Varric, and Solas. Enough time had passed that she had found herself opening up to Varric and talking, for the dwarf was passing time and telling stories, as well as drawing out the usually quiet Herald out of her shell. She had even earned her own nickname: Songbird. The elf had earned it when the dwarf had walked up to find her looking out at the lay of the land, having gone off to scout the terrain before the horses and pony came through. She had had her arms spread wide and was hitting a high note as only an elf could when he had begun to applaud.

The travel was giving her a newfound appreciation for the term "Eat Dust" that she had heard two humans speaking about while they were racing their horses outside of Haven that first night she had been there.

She gently kneed her horse into a trot--it wasn't far now--trail signs for the Inquisition camp that had been set meant she'd be there soon. It was time to meet this Mother Giselle.


End file.
